This invention relates generally to an electronic connector associated with a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). More specifically, the present invention relates to a single-sided electronic connector that is assembled to a PCBA through an interference fit, and which may be subsequently hard-mounted to a hard disk drive assembly through slots provided adjacent to aligned mounting holes of the PCBA.
In recent years microcomputer equipment, particularly personal and desk top computers, have become extremely popular for a wide variety of home, business and commercial uses. Such computers commonly include a main central processor unit having one or more memory storage disks. In many modern computers, the storage disk or disks, sometimes referred to as "hard disks," are provided as part of a Winchester-type disk drive unit having the storage disks supported in a stack on a rotary spindle within a substantially sealed disk drive housing. The disks are rotatably drive in unison by a small spindle motor, and one or more electromagnetic heads on a movable positioning arm are displaced by a precision stepper motor to traverse surfaces of the rotating disks for purposes of reading and writing data. Such Winchester-type disk drive units are generally preferred in comparison with so-called floppy-type disk drives due to their higher memory storage capacities and faster operating speeds.
Typically, such computer disk drive units or "hard drive assemblies" (HDA) include a housing having a base and a removable cover which collectively define a disk storage compartment therebetween. A shaft is fixed to the base and extends therefrom toward the housing cover, and one or more memory storage disks are mounted for rotation within the disk storage compartment about the shaft. The shaft and the memory storage disks comprise a memory storage unit which, with other related components situated within the disk storage compartment, are manufactured to very precise manufacturing specifications.
Often a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) is mounted directly to a disk drive unit housing. An electronic connector is typically mounted to the PCBA prior to assembly of the PCBA to the disk drive unit, to provide an electronic interface between the disk drive unit or hard drive assembly and the main central processor unit. The electronic connector typically has a standard configuration, i.e., SCSI (small computer system interface), SCA (single connector attach) or AT and, in the past, has been press-fit to the PCBA. One disadvantage in such an assembly of the electronic connector to the PCBA is that automated assembly of these two components has not been possible. Of course, improvements to the design of the various components associated with the hard drive assembly, printed circuit board and electronic connector, which would facilitate automatic assembly of these components to one another would be considered by those in the industry to be highly desirable.
Accordingly, there has been a need for a novel assembly of electronic components which facilitates assembly of the PCBA to the electronic connector with no hard-mounting of such components to one another, and which further permits the hard-mounting of these components when assembled to the disk drive unit itself. Preferably an improved electronic connector would be provided that would permit automated pick and place of the connector onto the PCBA in accordance with efficient manufacturing techniques. Such an improved electronic connector must maintain the flexibility and versatility for modification into standard configurations (for example, SCSI, SCA or AT configurations), and must not be appreciably more expensive to manufacture than standard electronic connectors. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.